1. Technical Field
The exemplary disclosure relates to key mechanisms and, particularly, key mechanisms for portable electronic devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Key assemblies of portable electronic devices, such as mobile phones, are usually formed on the outer sidewalls of the housings.
FIG. 5 shows a typical portable electronic device 50 including a key body 52, a first circuit board 56, an elastic metal frame 54 adhered to the first circuit board 56 by adhesive 58, and a main board 57 connected to the first circuit board 56 by a second circuit board 59. The second circuit 59 board may be a flexible printed circuit board. The first circuit board 56 has a first switch 562 and a second switch 564. By pressing the key body 52, the elastic metal frame 54 deforms to electrically connect the first switch 562 and the second switch 564.
However, the adhesive 58 may fail resulting in separation of the elastic metal frame 54 from the first circuit board 56. Thus, a gap (not shown) between the elastic metal frame 54 and the first circuit board 56 can appear. Since the key body 52 is typically made of metal material, static electricity is often generated. The static electricity may transmit to the first circuit board 56 through the gap, and then to the main board 57. Electronic components disposed on the main board 57 may be damaged from the static electricity.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.